Modern rail vehicles may have a plurality of different kinds of brake devices. There is usually a pneumatic brake system present in a rail vehicle, which can slow the vehicle down through the pneumatic operation of friction brake devices. In addition, there are electromagnetic rail brakes and eddy current brakes, for example. Eddy current brakes can achieve wear-free braking of a vehicle. Friction pairs in contact with one another are subject to a considerable load during the operation of friction brake devices. A friction pair of this kind may comprise, for example, a disk of a brake disk and a brake lining of a brake shoe in the case of a disk brake or a lining of a brake shoe and a wheel tread in the case of a shoe brake. Brake linings in particular are subject to a high degree of wear in this case. The wear on individual brake linings must be regularly checked as part of expensive maintenance routines, to guarantee the brake's functionality. However, the rail vehicle cannot be used for operation during this kind of maintenance.
Disclosed embodiments provide improved wear monitoring, on the basis of which wear-optimized operation of a brake system on a rail vehicle is possible.